The Ghana Oil Palm Development Company Limited (GODPC) Board has given approval for the construction of a rubber factory at its industrial estate at Kwae in the Kwaebibirem District of the Eastern Region.

At its meeting held at Kwae in April, this year, the Board unanimously resolved to construct a crumb rubber processing facility by 2020.

A statement issued by the company said “In fact the first planting of rubber has started already in 2012 in the uplands of GOPDC’s Kwae concession after having resolved at its 17th annual general meeting to amend the nature of its authorised business to include the cultivation of rubber and to construct and operate downstream processing facilities.”

It said while oil palm grows well in the lowlands, rubber outperforms palm on the slopes and hilltops in the area.

The statement said a new out grower extension scheme on rubber had already started and GOPDC would also provide high yielding rubber seedlings to the farmers under the scheme.

“Rubber trees, like oil palm trees, give steady revenue throughout the year as they can be tapped every week. The export of the processed rubber will also yield hard currency for GOPDC which will assure an attractive price to the farmers,” it said.

“GOPDC strongly advises the farmers to replant the old citrus farms with rubber trees which will give a reliable income for the next 30 years.” The statement said.

The factory will in a first phase produce 15,000 tons of crumb rubber per year.

GOPDC is a subsidiary of the SIAT GROUP which is a certified supplier of rubber to big tyre companies like Michelin and Bridgestone.